1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a grounding device for a battery cover of a portable terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, portable terminals are devices that provide users with mobile communication functions. In addition to being used for mobile communication functions, portable terminals are used as multi-functional devices, such as multimedia devices that reproduce music files, moving picture files and others, and financial service devices for micro payment, mobile banking, and the like.
Portable terminals may be classified as bar-type, flip-type, and folder-type terminals according to their external shapes. Recently, slide-type terminals have emerged on the market and have garnered a large share of the market together with folder-type terminals.
A bar-type terminal is a device in which an input unit (such as a keypad and a transmitter) and an output unit (such as a display and a receiver) are provided in a single housing. One advantage of bar-type terminals is that they have a simple construction with the installation of all components for mobile communication functions in a single housing. There is a limit to the miniaturization of bar-type terminals, however, because there must be a certain interval between the transmitter and the receiver for voice communication.
A flip-type terminal is a device in which a flip cover is rotatably installed to a bar-type terminal. The flip cover prevents malfunctions by limiting access to the input unit (such as the keypad) when the terminal is in a call standby mode. Similar to bar-type terminals, there is a limit to the miniaturization of flip-type terminals due to the problem of securing a certain interval between the transmitter and the receiver.
A folder-type terminal is a device in which a pair of housings are hingedly coupled to each other. For a long period, folder-type terminals have garnered most of the market for portable terminals because they may be miniaturized more easily because the input unit and output unit may be disposed on respective housings of the pair of housings to secure a sufficient interval between the transmitter and the receiver.
A slide-type terminal has a pair of housings that are slidably coupled to each other such that the input unit and the output unit are separately disposed on respective housings of the pair of housings. In a slide-type terminal, in particular, the keypad in the input unit is opened or closed by relative sliding movement of the housings. This way, in a call standby mode, malfunctions are prevented, and in a calling mode, it is easy to secure an appropriate interval between the transmitter and the receiver. Thus, this makes it easier to miniaturize the slide-type terminal. This has allowed slide-type terminals to gather a large market share.
These portable terminals include separate battery packs as power supplies. A typical installation space for a battery pack is configured such that the battery pack is installed by placing one end of the battery pack into the installation space, pivoting the battery pack into the installation space, and locking the battery pack into the installation space with a lock disposed on the other end of the battery pack. Another type of installation space is configured such that the battery pack is slidingly moved while being brought into contact with the terminal, is engaged with the terminal, and is then fixed thereto using a hook.
Although efforts are being made to miniaturize portable terminals so that they are more portable, at the same time, portable terminals should have a display with a sufficient size to provide multimedia functions, such as watching broadcasting and reproducing moving pictures. Thus, in the case of a terminal with multimedia functions, the thickness of the terminal is reduced to make it light and compact while also providing a large size for the display.
With a conventional installation structure for a battery pack (in which a battery fixing hole is provided at the terminal so as to detachably fix the battery pack), it is difficult to secure in a slim terminal sufficient space to form a protrusion, a hook, and the like to couple and fix the battery pack into the portable terminal. To address this, an installation space that receives a battery pack and protects it using a separate cover has been proposed. The battery cover for protecting the battery pack in the slim terminal is shaped like a flat plate and is made of a metallic material to provide impact resistance and secure engagement with the terminal. Such a metallic cover is conductive and may cause current to leak, causing inconvenience to a user. Further, the conductivity of the metallic material may affect the operation of the circuit devices therein or the radiation characteristics of an antenna in the portable terminal so that it is difficult to achieve stable operation of the terminal.